Chief of War
Chief of War is an American historical drama series created by Thomas Paʻa Sibbett and Jason Momoa for Apple TV+. Momoa also stars in and executive produces the series, which premiered on August 1, 2025.
Premise
Based on true events, the story begins at the end of the 18th century when the four major kingdoms of the Hawaiian Islands were in a state of war: Hawaiʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi. The series follows Kaʻiana, a warrior chief of Maui who travels outside the islands, returns home, and joins a bloody campaign until, at the last minute, he rebels against the king of Hawaii in the war that took place from 1782 to 1810 under Kamehameha I.Cast and characters
Main
- Jason Momoa as Kaʻiana
- Luciane Buchanan as Kaʻahumanu
- Te Ao o Hinepehinga as Kupuohi
- Te Kohe Tuhaka as Namake
- Brandon Finn as Prince Kūpule
- Siua Ikaleʻo as Nāhi
- Mainei Kinimaka as Heke
- Roimata Fox as Taula
- Keala Kahuanui-Paleka as ʻŌpūnui
- Moses Goods as Moku
- James Udom as Tony
- Benjamin Hoetjes as John Young
- Kaina Makua as Kamehameha I
Supporting
- Temuera Morrison as King Kahekili
- Charlie Brumbly as Marley
- Erroll Shand as Captain John Meares
- Sisa Grey as Vai
- Cliff Curtis as Keōua
- Ioane Goodhue as Lima
- Branscombe Richmond as King Kalaniʻōpuʻu
- Jason Hood as Captain Simon Metcalfe
- Kekuhi Keali‘ikanaka‘oleohaililani as Keōua's mother
Production
According to Thomas Paʻa Sibbett, he and Jason Momoa came up with the idea for Chief of War in 2015; it was initially conceived as a feature film focusing on Kamehameha before switching to the point of view of Kaʻiana instead. It was announced in April 2022 that Apple TV+ had ordered an eight-episode miniseries, with Momoa set to star in and executive produce. Justin Chon was set to direct two episodes of the series that same month. Momoa and Sibbett co-wrote all episodes, with assistance on Hawaiian language dialogue provided by staff of Awaiaulu, an archiving and translation company based in Honolulu. Cultural advisors were appointed in every production department to achieve as high a degree of authenticity as possible, even as far as building war vessels from scratch using real local materials and historical techniques.Hans Zimmer and James Everingham collaborated with musician Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole for the soundtrack that incorporated traditional instruments.
Casting announcements in October and November revealed that Temuera Morrison, Luciane Buchanan, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikaleʻo, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka, and Te Kohe Tuhaka had joined the cast. Cliff Curtis would join in a recurring role in February 2023. Buchanan had auditioned prior through a long-distance Zoom table reading from Los Angeles with Momoa. Kaina Makua had no prior acting experience and was a taro farmer and canoe racing coach before being recommended by both Momoa and later a cultural advisor to Sibbett.
Filming for the series began by October 2022 in New Zealand, with Bay of Islands being used to stand in for 18th century Hawaiʻi. Major battle scenes were filmed from middle November to December in the lava fields of Kalapana; filming still continued when Mauna Loa erupted for the first time in more than three decades during this period.